The Predator (31 page)

“This close to the river, I bet you did a lot of fishing.”

He nodded and a smile lifted the corners of his lips. “Yeah, we caught a lot of fish here, Dad and I.”

Alex moved further inside the cabin and came to a stop right in front of him. With his back turned toward the rear door, she hoped it would give Declan and his men the chance they needed. Trying to hold his attention, she inclined her head. “Does he still come here?”

“Not that I know of. It’s been a good while since I was here.” His gaze darted around the room and Alex froze, praying he wouldn’t turn around, but he looked back at her and smiled again. “The place doesn’t exactly look lived in.”

Forcing a chuckle, she nodded. “Yeah, I think your housekeeper could do with a demonstration.”

“Or a raise,” he added.

This time, her grin was almost genuine and she marveled at the quirky sense of humor that disguised a monster.

The back door creaked. The noise seemed magnified in the small room. Alex’s heart stopped beating.

Jim’s head snapped around. He caught sight of Declan near the half-open door and he roared, “Stop! Stop right now or I’ll shoot.”

Alex glimpsed a flash of steel in the dimness. Her throat went dry and dread turned her legs to concrete. Without thinking, she grabbed Jim by the arm that held the gun.

“Jim, please. Don’t do this.”

He shook his head back and forth, the wildness back in his eyes. “I can’t go to jail, Alex. I can’t. Do you know what they do to people like me in places like that?”

Cassie lay frozen on the bed. Alex tried to catch her eye, but the girl seemed to have lost the ability to move.

Keeping her gaze fixed on the man in front of her, Alex spoke again. “Jim, give me the gun. Please. There’s nothing to gain by hurting anyone. It’s all been a bit of a misunderstanding,” she lied. “You wanted to spend some time with your niece.” She shrugged and forced the words past her lips. “There’s no harm in that. But if you shoot someone, Jim, nothing good is going to come of it. It will be very hard to explain that away.”

Hoping her words were enough to give him pause, Alex looked toward Declan and shouted, “
Now
!”

The words catapulted Declan and the men behind him into action. All of a sudden, the room was full of men in fatigues, shouting and pointing weapons at the man beside her.

Jim wrenched his arm away from Alex. In slow motion, she watched him aim the gun at her head.

Smoke rose from the tip of the gun. Microseconds later, white-hot pain exploded in her head and the world receded around her. Gibbons diminished into a blur. With her last remaining strength, Alex drew her gun and fired.

The front door smashed against the wall of the cabin. Brandon filled the space, his expression thunderous and ravaged by fear.

Darkness descended and she collapsed onto the floor amongst the dust and debris of another lifetime.

* * *

Brandon scrubbed at the whiskers on his chin and rubbed at the grit in his eyes. The lights and beeps of the various machines that surrounded Alex’s hospital bed had become a familiar symphony and one that was now almost lulling him to sleep. He couldn’t remember when he’d last closed his eyes. It felt like weeks.

He reached for her hand, pale and soft, where it rested with an innocent vulnerability against the white sheet. The warmth of her skin gave him comfort, something the doctors so far had not.

Guilt weighed him down, adding to his pain. Why, oh why had he agreed to let her go in there alone? It was his fault. She was lying in a coma, prognosis uncertain, and he was the one who’d put her there.

A nurse approached on noiseless rubber-soled feet and checked the bag of fluid that dripped silently into Alex’s arm. Next, she kneeled and recorded the contents of the bag that hung off the side rail of the bed.

He looked away and heard the nurse scratching with her pen on the folder of notes she held in her hand. He couldn’t bear to see his wife reduced to such anonymity—no longer a person, but a medical specimen to be poked and prodded and recorded.

He was being unfair. The care and attention she’d received from both the medical and nursing staff had been exceptional, but he didn’t care. None of them, for all their kind efficiency, could tell him when she’d wake up, when she’d smile, when she’d open her mouth and say hello. Tell him she loved him.

Agony tore through him again and his eyes burned with tears that pushed ever harder to fall. He gritted his teeth, clenched his jaw and sucked air into his nostrils. He didn’t deserve the release tears would bring.

How could he have been so stupid, so selfish to let her think he’d never forgive her? Oh, he’d told her he loved her just before she’d headed into the lair of an unpredictable criminal, but how original was that? They were throwaway words from throwaway movies that had been done a hundred times before.

How was she to know he’d meant them?
Really
meant them? Now, he might never get the chance to explain, to make her see how much he meant them and how sorry he was for making her doubt his love.

The longer she remained in a coma, the more pessimistic her prognosis became. It hadn’t even been a full week, but the grim faces of the medical staff as they drifted in and out of her allotted bed space in the ICU told him more than he wanted to know.

There was no reason for her to still be unconscious, they told him. No medical reason that they could ascertain. The bullet had barely grazed her temple. The fall she’d taken afterwards had bruised her brain, but the swelling had now receded and the damage hadn’t been severe enough to warrant a coma. And yet, here she was. It baffled them and made them even more cautious when he demanded to know what was happening.

A movement on the bed caught his eye. He blinked and sat forward, then blinked again. Alex’s eyelids fluttered. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. There it was. They were
fluttering
.

Joy and overwhelming relief surged through him. It was the first time she’d moved since she’d been brought in. He stood and scrambled for the buzzer and then reached for Alex’s hand and squeezed it. Bringing it to his lips, he pressed desperate kisses across her palm, willing her to give him another sign that she was waking.

The same nurse who’d attended earlier approached the bed.

“Can I help you, Mr Munro?”

Brandon squeezed Alex’s hand tighter. “My wife. I think she’s waking up. She moved her eyelids. I’m sure of it. I think she’s waking up!”

The nurse nodded cautiously and leaned over Alex. Taking a small flashlight out of her pocket, she gently lifted one of Alex’s eyelids and shone the light into her eye.

Alex turned her head away. Brandon yelped loudly with excitement. “See, I told you! She moved! She responded to your flashlight.”

The nurse offered a slight smile. “Yes, she did. It’s a good sign, a really good sign. Let me page the doctor.”

Brandon tried to contain his excitement. One small response didn’t mean they were out of the woods. He regained his seat beside her bed, but then stood again, unable to sit still. Pacing within the tight confines of the space allotted to her bed, he kept his gaze pinned to her pale form.

She had to wake up. She had to. He’d only just found her again. He couldn’t lose her for a second time. That would kill him.

“Bran…?”

Brandon came to an abrupt halt and stared at the woman in the bed. Her voice was hoarse and barely audible, but her head moved and then her lips and then her voice came again.

“Bran…don?”

He rushed over, mindful of the tubes and bags and other medical paraphernalia that crowded her bedside.

“Oh, God! Oh, Alex! Oh, sweetheart. I thought I’d lost you! I love you! I love you so much. Please, please forgive me!” The tears he’d refused to shed until that moment, poured from his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He didn’t care. She was awake. Awake and lucid. Watching him with a frown, as if trying to work out how she’d gotten there.

Her hand moved to the IV tube. He put his hand over hers and gently pulled it back. “It’s okay, sweetheart. You’ve been unconscious since they brought you in. They’ll take it out when they’re sure you’re okay without it.”

He moved to the end of the bed and called out. “Nurse, nurse! Please, come and see. She’s awake! You need to come and see.”

Hurrying back to Alex’s side, he took her hand again and held it tight. “It’s going to be all right. Oh, darling, it’s going to be all right.” He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand and then held it to his heart.

The nurse arrived, a wide smile creasing her face when she saw Alex was awake. “Welcome back, Mrs Munro. I don’t know whether your husband told you, but you’ve given us all a little scare. We weren’t sure what was going on with you.”

She patted the blanket that covered Alex’s legs. “I’ve called the doctor. We’ll wait for him to arrive and see you for himself before we do anything, but I’m sure he’ll be as pleased as I am to see you awake.”

“Drink?” Alex croaked.

“Of course.” The nurse brought a cup of water with a straw in it to Alex’s mouth. “Easy does it,” she advised.

Alex took a few sips and then turned her head in Brandon’s direction. “How’s Cassie?”

“She’s fine,” he reassured her. “We found her in time. She was admitted overnight for observation and she was seen by a counselor. Tom and Lily took her home a few days ago. They’re arranging for her to meet with a child psychiatrist, someone who’s dealt with this kind of thing before. Alex nodded, her face filled with relief. As if in sudden recollection, she frowned. “How is Sam?”

Brandon squeezed her hand. “He’s fine. Your mom came by a little while ago. They were ready to discharge him, but when the doctors found out you were here, they decided to keep him in.” He looked away, feeling uncertain. “I-I’ve been visiting with him every day. He-he’s a great kid.”

Emotion welled up in her eyes. Brandon swallowed a lump that had lodged in his throat. Leaning over the bed rails, he kissed her.

“I’m so glad to see you awake.”

She blinked away tears. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was his and always had been. He didn’t know how long they stared at each other, but it wasn’t until he became aware of the doctor approaching the hospital bed that he broke the connection and acknowledged the other man with a nod.

“Well, Mrs Munro, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Dr Matthew Reeves. I’ve been overseeing your treatment.”

Alex smiled. “Thank you.”

“You had us all perplexed. We weren’t sure what was going on with you.”

Alex shrugged and smiled again. The doctor moved over to the monitor that displayed her vital signs and took note of the data and then lifted the stethoscope from around his neck and listened to her chest. After repeating the check of her pupils, he stood back and pronounced that the worst was over.

“Everything looks good. We’ll keep you under observation for the next day or so, but you might be able to be moved out of the ICU and into another ward tomorrow.”

Relief weakened Brandon’s knees. He leaned one hand on the mattress for support and turned to the doctor with a heart full of gratitude.

“I can’t thank you enough, Doctor. I-I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost her.” He thrust out his hand.

The doctor returned his handshake and made a promise to check on Alex again in an hour. When he took his leave, the nurse followed him.

“What happened to Jim?” Alex asked quietly.

Brandon bit his lip and shook his head. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. He didn’t make it.”

Her face filled with regret. “How…?”

“It doesn’t matter now. What matters is that you rest so you can get better and get out of here.”

“How long have I been here?”

“It’s Friday morning. You’ve been here six days.”

Her face registered her surprise. She shook her head. “No wonder you look…”

He grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. “Like shit?”

She smiled and nodded.

“I had more important things on my mind than showers and shaving.”

“I see that.” Her eyes darkened with emotion. “Thank you for visiting Sam. Does… Does he know you’re his dad?”

Brandon shook his head. “I wanted to wait until we could tell him together.”

Alex stared at him, her expression filled with love and gratitude.

“Thank you,” she said simply.

Brandon found her hand and took it in his. He drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. Cassie had been found. Sam was healing. Alex loved him as much as he loved her. Everything was going to be fine.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

One month later

Brandon pulled into the driveway of Tom and Lily’s grand old Chatswood home and shut off the ignition. Nerves danced around inside Alex’s stomach and she did her best to chase them away by giving her husband a wide smile.

He leaned across the gear stick and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” he murmured, his lips sliding across her cheek to nuzzle at her ear.

She grinned and tried to balance the pan of potato bake on her lap. “It has been awhile. At least an hour or two. You’d better tell me again in case I forget.”

He smiled and pinched her lightly on the arm. “Minx.”

She opened her eyes wide, a picture of innocence. “You told me you like it when I’m feisty.”

His eyes darkened. His hand slid down to cup her breast, unerringly finding her nipple through the light fabric of her cotton blouse.

“Careful, or I might unleash my wild side.” He growled low in his throat.

Desire sprang instantly to life. Her gaze held his.

“Dad, can we go in now?”

Sam’s gentle whine from the back seat penetrated the haze of need. Brandon removed his hand with reluctance, but he winked and mouthed “later.” She squeezed her legs closed against another surge of longing.

Her nerves returned to the surface. Apart from Lily’s brief visit while Alex had been in hospital and a couple of quick phone calls that had been limited to questions about her recovery, they hadn’t given themselves the opportunity to talk. Really talk. About Brandon. About Sam. About Cassie. Even about Jim.